


The Experiment

by Torched22



Category: DCU, Smallville
Genre: First Kiss, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 03:57:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torched22/pseuds/Torched22
Summary: Clark has brunch with Barry (DCU - Ezra Miller) at the Talon and antics ensue.





	The Experiment

Soft morning light flitted through the talon, catching on metal chair backs and porcelain coffee mugs. The day had an ethereal glow to it, the kind of warmth usually reserved for the holiday season or family dinners. But it was just a normal spring day, intoxicating anyone who stepped foot in the Talon with the heady scent of freshly bloomed flowers mixed with the rich depth of brewing coffee. 

It was the kind of morning when you woke up, breathed in the scent of the earth and felt like anything was possible. Clark had learned through experience that these days could either be fantastic or dangerous. There existed the possibility of the world tilting off its usual axis to veer towards new possibilities.

Barry had invited him to the Talon for brunch, and even though he knew it'd packed on this three day weekend, Monday morning, he said yes anyway. Kent had been avoiding places like the Talon for fear of running into the happy couple, *gag*, but he deserved to live his own life. Plus, it was a three day weekend, what would the odds be of Lex and Lana staying in Smallville for it anyway? They were probably in Metropolis, or jetting off to some island.

Just thinking of his former best friend and his former girlfriend together made Clark want to scream. Or cry. Or throw some cosmic temper tantrum that would most leave the entire state of Kansas in ruins. But life was all about control - or at least his life was. Control your strength, Clark. Control your temper, Clark. Control your desire to tell your secret, Clark.

Life was all confines and boundaries for him that left him feeling suffocating and unsatisfied. One of the only bright spots in his life was Barry. The speedster with his glittering brown eyes and jet black hair, a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, and a mouth that formed witty retorts. He was an excellent listener, and an invaluable friend. Clark couldn't imagine getting through this Lex and Lana business without him. Dad dying was enough to tear his world asunder, he really didn't need any more heartache.

Some nights he would lie awake in his bed, just feeling the edges of the hole that was left in his chest. He would cry himself to sleep at least once a week and not even know why. Did he cry for his father in the ground? Did he cry that the one father he had left was a maniacal psychopath who enjoyed etching Kryptonian symbols in his flesh? Maybe he cried for the loss of Lana? No, he knew, deep down, that dark and unspoken thing...that it wasn't the loss of Lana he mourned, but the loss of Lex. 

Lex who's storm cloud eyes gathered behind his closed eyelids. Who's cologne haunted his memory, along with each touch. He could feel every place those pale hands had touched him when they were friends. A pat on the back. A hug. A touch on the shoulder. Every place those fingerprints ventured had scorched through Clark's clothing and imbedded permanently on his skin. He missed Lex desperately. Enough that the billionaire snuck into his daydreams, his nightmares, his sweet dreams, and even his jerk-off fantasies. It made Clark feel dirty. 

As he buttoned his shirt, his pocket buzzed. He pulled it out.

"Come on, Clark, your coffee's getting cold," Barry texted.

"Be there...right now," Clark texted back before zipping out of his house and through the streets that would lead him to the Talon. He got there in record time, not sure if he should be alarmed that he was becoming even faster.

The door jingled as he pushed it open, eyes lighting up when he saw Barry wave at him from a table. As he began walking towards his friend, he felt it, that familiar magnetism. He smelled that spicy woodsy scent and wondered if he was hallucinating it, but he wasn't.

Lex and Lana were seated at a two person table, their eyes burning holes into Clark's neck. He gave them a half hearted smile and kept going towards Barry. 

The young man stood and embraced Clark. "Man, is it good to see you again," he held onto him like a life raft.

"Why didn't you tell me Lex and Lana were here?" he whispered. Barry broke away and gave Kent a smile. "So what if they're here man, you deserve a quiche and a cappuccino. You're single-handedly running a twenty acre farm when you're not fending off meteor freaks. Give yourself a celebratory quiche."

Clark laughed, pulling out the chair, he sat, grateful for Barry's company. The young man was like a direct beam of concentrated sunlight, all smiles and exuberance - it reminded Clark that life could still be enjoyable. While Kent wore sadness and secrets like a cape, Barry sported heroism like a crown. Maybe he could learn to be more like that...brighter...somehow.

"I can hear the gears turning in your head you know."

Clark rolled his eyes, then looked over the empty table. "Hey, I thought you said my coffee was getting cold?!"

"I lied to get you here faster," his white teeth shone like pearls. "Haven't ordered yet."

The farmboy shook his head in admonishment and nodded at the waitress so she'd come over. The pair ordered and handed over their breakfast menus when they were done ordering and looked at one another. 

"So...you still in your rut of despair?" Barry asked after the wraith of a waitress floated away. 

"I wouldn't call it that..."

"What would you call it? A ditch of depression? A bout of bitterness? A hallway of heartache?" 

"Oh my god man, stop."

Barry laughed, the sound as bright and clear as a symphony of chimes. At the laugh, Clark could see Lex eyeing them out the corner of his eye. Unfortunately for him, Barry caught Clark watching Lex.

"You're a hot mess, you know that?"

"Did you just call me hot?" Clark jested, feeling more flirty than usual. 

"Fuck yes you're hot, are you kidding?" he kicked Kent under the table. "If you didn't slouch on purpose to make yourself look timid and invisible...if you didn't cover up your body in flannel...the whole fucking town would be on you like flies on shit."

"Gee thanks, great mental picture."

"Try it, right now...take off that flannel shirt. I know you have a t-shirt under it."

"Yeah, but it's just an undershirt." 

"Come on, do it for me," Barry licked his lips, then bit the bottom one, his biggest puppy dog eyes locked onto Clark. "It's a warm and beautiful day my friend. There's no room for flannel in the springtime."

Clark sighed. "You really do have a crush on me don't you?" Clark began unbuttoning his flannel shirt, acutely aware that Lex was watching with rapt interest. It sent a thrill down his spine that felt akin to the rush of red kryptonite.

"Well, duh, who wouldn't? You are a bonafide snack Clark Kent, the likes of which the world has never known."

The fabric fell away and left Clark in an impossibly tight white t-shirt with a V-neck. He hung the flannel over the back of his chair, which required him to twist nearly all the way around. The white tee hugged every muscle.

"Fuck me," Barry said, eyes dancing along Clark's jaw, neck, collarbone, the dip of his chest muscles. He drank up everything he could see.

Kent burned as red as a flame...mentally picturing what Barry had just suggested. "So you never asked me out because I'm straight or..."

"Oh Clark," Barry shook his head. "I'm certain of a lot of things - one of which is that you most certainly aren't straight."

Something resembling panic flipped in Clark's stomach. 

"I think that's what you've had experience with, women I mean. But was your puppy dog crush on Lana real, earth shattering love? Or was it admiration and hollow cuteness?" 

Clark knew the answer was 'no.' No, it wasn't 'real/earth shattering love.' He didn't answer, but his silence answered for him. 

The waitress brought over their cappuccinos. 

"Have you ever thought about men? In a sexual way?" Barry inquired, treading lightly, sipping his coffee.

"Geeze man," Clark looked over to make sure that the waitress had retreated fast enough.

"Well?"

Kent swallowed, squirming in his seat. "Yeah...actually."

"And I'm guessing those thoughts revolved around a certain bald billionaire?" 

Clark's brow furrowed. 

"Oh, don't be so shocked...I've seen pictures of you two from the past four years. In every one of them, he's looking at you the same way a lion eyes a gazelle."

"That doesn't mean I like him back."

"No, it doesn't. But you do."

A beat of awkward silence followed the statement. Clark wished that breakfast would hurry up and get to the table, but he had no such luck.

"It's killing you, even right now, not looking at him."

Clark hung his head and rung his hands together. "By the time I knew I had feelings for him, our friendship was already ruined. Then he got with Lana anyway. Most people think I'm sad because I lost Lana."

"But you're actually hurting because you lost Lex, right?" 

A small nod. Tears stung at Clark's glassy eyes. Just thinking about the implosion of his friendship with Lex was painful. He wondered what could have happened between them if he'd realized his feelings while they were still friends. A whole world of possibilities crumbled in his hands and blew away like ashes.

Barry leaned forward, his hand snaking out and taking Clark's. He unknotted the fingers and took one hand in his. Not really used to touching, Clark's first inclination was to pull away, but he didn't. Barry's hand was hot and solid and instead, he found himself exploring its fleshy hills and valleys with his own hand.

"Tell me if I'm going too far but...have you...I mean..." Barry fumbled, a rare event. "Have you done anything with guys?"

Great, as if it wasn't hard enough being an alien with a dead father and an abusive father, and having powers...now Clark had to actually face his sexual orientation. If there was anyone he trusted though, it was Barry.

Kent shook his head 'no,' feeling some new ache of frustration he'd never acknowledged before.

"I realized so late Barry..." 

Barry pulled at his hand and Clark leaned further into the table. He knew that Lex was still watching. He used his super speed to sneak a look and only Barry caught it. 

"There is no time table Clark."

"No, but I lost Lex."

"So get him back."

Clark's eyes were huge and confused. "You mean...steal him from Lana? I don't even know if he's gay."

Barry's face twisted into the most sarcastically incredulous look EVER and upon seeing it, Clark busted out in laughter. Real laughter, from somewhere deep and warm and long forgotten. For the first time in months, Clark gave the 10,000 watt smile (as Chloe liked to call it).

Barry leaned so far into the table that it was wedged into the concave of his stomach. He leaned forward to whisper and Clark leaned in to listen. 

-+-+-+-+

"What on earth is going on over there?" Lana asked Lex. For being so schooled in controlling his porcelain visage, Lex's mask had slipped and he wore a deeply dissatisfied frown.

"If it was anyone else, I'd say a date."

"Yeah," Lana laughed, "that's what it looks like for sure."

"Clark's straight as an arrow," Lex said, his tone neutral but his face crestfallen as he hid half of it with his mug.

"I don't know about that," Lana added, and Lex nearly choked on his latte.

"Why would you say that?"

"Just a sneaking suspicion," she shrugged. "When Coach Teague was at Smallville High, I'd catch Clark staring at him all the time. He spent so much time around him. Talked about him. He was so eager to please Coach T."

"Didn't you have a fling with him?"

Lana's cheeks burned pink.

"Clark wouldn't talk to me for a month after he found out, just walked around like a sad puppy. I think people thought it was because he liked me, but I think it's because he liked Jason."

Lex shook his head. "You dated him Lana and you're saying he's gay? Or bi?" The universe must be nearing a black hole.

"We never had sex," she whispered into the whipped cream. "And he's said some things that led me to that conclusion, yes."

"What things?"

She looked up at Lex. "Why are you suddenly so interested in Clark's sexual orientation?" 

Luthor cleared his throat and couldn't really come up with an answer to that one.

"You know...when you and he were friends, when you first got to Smallville...the rumors were insane."

"What rumors?"

"That you and Clark were...you know..." Lana rested her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together. "He got so much flak at school...if he wasn't defending you he was staving off the rumors that he and you were..." her words fell off.

"...fucking?" Lex finished for her. She shushed him and squirmed in her seat, turning tomato red.

"Why wouldn't he tell me this?"

"He was probably embarrassed, I don't know, but it wasn't my place to tell you at the time."

"Did he ever get in fights because of these rumors?"

"Yeah," her eyes were downcast. "Just one."

Silence.

"Well...?"

"It was the football team, four of them. They were in the locker room with Clark and Pete. The only reason I know is because Pete told me..."

"What happened?"

"Pete didn't give me the exact transcript, just said that they were saying horrible things about you and...Clark was getting upset. One of the guys said something pretty obscene and Clark pushed him. The guy punched Clark in return so Pete went to help Clark and he got hit. Pete couldn't get back up so Clark beat them up - all four of them - on his own. He warned them never to mention you again and they didn't. The entire rumor mill stopped. One look at the beaten up football guys was all the school needed to see to take Clark seriously. He broke one of the guy's arms."

Lex swallowed but his throat clicked it was so dry. 

"Jason didn't even punish Clark, didn't tell the school what happened - nothing. Clark came out of the locker room crying, with blood on his hands...that's when I saw him. But he wouldn't even tell me what had happened...I had to wrestle it out of Pete."

Something visceral squirmed in Lex's chest. He didn't want to feel anything for Clark anymore, he wanted to bury the past along with his feelings, but that was proving impossible with this newfound information.

"I'm sorry about your friendship, Lex," Lana added, sadness in her eyes. "Clark is a fortress of secrets. He disappears all the time, doesn't make relationships his priority. He's never told me his secrets either, if that makes you feel better." Another gulp of coffee. 

It should have made Lex feel better, but it didn't. 

Five strides away, Clark was leaning in, biting his lip, listening to something a handsome young man was saying. Lex was surprised in every sense of the word. Timid Clark...out in public...in the open...flirting with another man? It felt like Luthor was in the Twilight zone. Panic and fury battled for dominance in his headache-addled brain. Life itself was turning inside out.

He had worked so hard to control his feelings for Clark because of his age. He had strangled those feelings because he swore to himself that Clark was straight, and that if he ever tried anything he'd scare the farmboy away forever. But here he was, eyes glittering, attention wrapped around this stranger.

It made Lex want to scream and throw hot coffee on that attractive gay man. He was attractive. And he had a full head of shining black hair, a stray piece continuing to fall into his eye even after pushing it away.

Clark never came out to Lex... the realization spawned a fresh wave of hurt rolling over Lex's skin. Did Clark just not trust him, or did he figure it out after their friendship ended? He guessed he'd never know now. 

-+-+-+-+-+-+

"You know what Lex needs?" Barry purred.

"Wh...what?" 

"Good 'ole fashioned jealousy."

"What are you proposing here?"

Their food would be out soon, so Barry had to act fast.

"A kiss."

A blush erupted on Clark's face. 

"Unless you'd be uncomfortable with that....I just want to help you out Clark...whether that's making Lex jealous or just...experiencing kissing a man."

Fuck...Clark was getting hard thinking about Lex watch he and Barry kiss. He also was curious. He wanted to test out his theory of being bi...and who better to do that with than someone he trusted and cared about? 

"It's just a kiss Clark," Barry chuckled.

He was right, it was just a kiss, but it meant a lot. Plus, they were in rural Kansas. Clark flashed back to the football team briefly, remembering the locker room incident. But why should that stop him from doing this? Other people didn't deserve to have this power over him, making him second guess a kiss just because it's a gay kiss and he's in Kansas. They can get over it.

"Yes."

"Really?" Honestly, Barry had expected Clark to turn him down - he wasn't the exhibitionist type. Or maybe he was...

"I'd be honored to be your first gay kiss, Clark," Barry was humbled. He had a massive crush on Clark, but knew that the farmboy's heart was elsewhere.  
"Let's get refills first," he stood, grabbing both mugs and walked to the counter, Clark trailing behind him.

Kent knew he might lose his nerve, so as the barista turned and filled the mugs with just black coffee, he spun Barry around and stepped into his space. Surprisingly, he wasn't focused on all the eyes on him, all the people in the Talon, he was just focused on Barry's open expression of shocked approval.

He leaned in for the kiss, head tilted, eyes slipping shut. Barry was a few inches shorter than him, but their bodies fit together perfectly. He tried not to focus on how hard he was either, even though he was sure Barry could feel the hot length pressed against him. 

It was a languid kiss. Not timid at all. Barry's soft pink lips opened like petals for Clark's tongue to swipe inside. His hearing picked up on Barry's heartbeat, fluttering like bird wings in his chest. It also picked up another heartbeat, even faster. 

He spent several seconds kissing his friend, feeling like he could breathe for the first time in his life, his fingers branding bruises into Barry's hips. The other man moaned beneath him and a spine rattling jolt went from his spine to his cock. 

Finally, he pulled away, leaving a glazed-eyed Barry stunned, his lips swollen from the attention. He cleared his throat and tried to make the room stop spinning. 

Kissing Clark was better than any fantasy that he'd ever conjured. He knew that this man could break him - literally and figuratively. 

Clark eventually figured out the other heartbeat he was hearing...was Lex's. And it grew closer.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. He was so paranoid about homophobia from the Talon patrons that he was mentally prepared for a throwdown. But he wouldn't need his right hook just yet...

"Clark..." Lex was spinning him around. "I need to talk to you."

Kent's lips opened to say something, but nothing came out. Lex's eyes raked over him, even dipping down to his erection lingering there for several heart-stopping seconds. This close, Clark knew he could tell just how hard he was. What he didn't know was that Lex was dying to wedge his thigh there and kiss Kent until he stopped breathing. 

"Now's not really a good time, Lex," Barry spoke up, stunning both Clark and Lex.

"And who the hell are you?" 

"Clark's boyfriend. Who the hell are you? Other than his ex-best friend, I mean?" 

Lex's hands were balled into fists and he physically shook.

Barry felt stupidly possessive at the moment...after Clark's kiss. He turned to the counter and spoke to the barista..."we'd like our food to go please."

She nodded, "it just came out of the kitchen, I'll put it in to go containers for you," she disappeared.

Lex just stepped even closer to Clark...and Kent actually whimpered, a sound torn from his soul that made Lex ache. Want radiated off Clark in waves so strongly that Lex wanted to turn him back around, jerk his pants down, and take him on the counter - Lana be damned.

Lex wasn't used to being dealt with this way, he was used to getting his way. Nothing about the world was working right today. His eyes dipped down the V in Clark's shirt. His eyes rested there, unfocused, mind racing. "Don't sleep with him," he whispered inaudibly, lips barely moving.

If it weren't for Clark's super hearing, he never would have heard it. Luckily, Barry hadn't heard it.

Lana appeared behind Lex, her hand on his arm, not sure what his intentions were. 

"Clark and I are leaving, thanks for ruining our date," Barry said, putting his hand in Clark's. The contact shocked Kent back to the real world.

"Bye Lex...Lana," he nodded as he was pulled past the couple. Grabbing his flannel shirt off the back of the chair as they walked towards the door, Clark wasn't sure if his heart was still in his chest or behind him in Lex's hands.


End file.
